Nitrogen Shortage in a Tomato Crop; Scaling up from Effects on Electron-Transport Rate to Plant Productivity
Ad H. C. M. Schapendonk
a,*, Marcel Van Oijen
a, Sander C. Pot
a, Riki Van den Boogaard
b, and JeremyHarbinson
ba DLO-Research Institute for Agrobiologyand Soil Fertility(AB-DLO), P. O. Box 14, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands. Fax: +31 317 423110.
E-mail: a.h.c.m.schapendonk@ab.dlo.nl
b DLO-Research Institute for Agrotechnology(ATO-DLO), P. O. Box 17, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
* Author for correspondence and reprint requests
Z. Naturforsch.54c,840Ð848 (1999); received November 12, 1998/March 3, 1999 Stress, Nitrogen Optimization, Photosynthesis, Tomato, Modelling
Optimization of nitrogen supplyin a tomato plant is stepwise assessed, from chloroplast characteristics to whole crop performance. Experiments are reported in which important key processes are quantified in relation to the nitrogen content of leaves. Interactions of N effects with leaf aging and canopylight distribution are analyzed.
A simulation model that integrates this knowledge is constructed. The results of three nitrogen partitioning scenarios for Rubisco suggest that optimization of the distribution of Rubisco between leaf layers is less important for plant productivity than within-leaf optimiza- tion of the photosynthetic apparatus.
